Ford Model K

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Ford Model K Touring (1906)
Ford Model K Touring (1906)
Model K
Production period: 1906-1908
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Phaeton , Tonneau
Engines: Gasoline engines :
6.6 liters (29 kW)
Length:
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase : 1829 mm
Empty weight : 566 kg

The Ford Model K was a four-seater passenger car built in two versions by Ford in the United States. From the end of 1905 (model year 1906), the car was added to the F and N models as the top model. It was powered by a 6-cylinder in-line engine with cylinders cast in pairs of 6,636 cm³ displacement ( bore × stroke = 114.3 mm × 107.95 mm) and 40 hp (according to NACC about 29 kW). The wheelbase of the vehicle with a cardan shaft , front engine and rear-wheel drive was 2,896 mm for the runabout and 3,048 mm for the touring car .

The vehicle was assembled at the Mack Avenue factory in Detroit, Michigan ; Ford had engines, axles, chassis and other components manufactured abroad according to its own plans. Like all Fords at the beginning of the last century, the K had a (two-speed) planetary gearbox for gear selection.

Model history

After the Model B , the Model K was the second attempt by a group of Ford shareholders around Alexander Y. Malcomson (1865-1923) to bring a luxurious Ford onto the market against Henry Ford's will. This had been one of the areas of conflict at the Henry Ford Company . The vehicle did not correspond to Ford's philosophy of a simple, mass-produced automobile for the masses. Even bigger and more expensive than the B model, it was initially sold for US $ 2500 each. In 1907 the selling price was increased to US $ 2800. It was therefore located in the lower luxury segment and cost about twice as much as a mid-range car. There was hardly any model maintenance and was produced until October 1908.

The Model K was a failure. It was too expensive, it came from a manufacturer known for "cheaper" cars, and it had quality defects. Henry Ford probably didn't pay enough attention to it either; he was already busy preparing for the Model T.

The Model K had various consequences for Henry Ford and his company. Initially, it led him to invest in an iron foundry in order to become less dependent on suppliers. In addition, he began to pay off his shareholders, especially Malcolmson, in order to get control of the model policy himself. It strengthened both Ford's conviction that he would be limited to one model and his rejection of the six-cylinder engine.

The K had no successor, which meant that Ford's luxury car production was stopped for the time being. From 1907 Ford only built the T.

The next Ford model with a six-cylinder engine did not appear until 1941 and only after tough struggle with his son Edsel - an entry-level model. The next Ford on the threshold of the luxury market was to be the Thunderbird five-seater (from 1958).

World record

Frank Kulick drove a Model K 1135 miles (1826 km) in 24 hours and broke the previous world record by 309 miles (497 km). The average speed was 47.2 MPH (76 km / h).

  • Model K (1906); Rear view with rear axle (cardan drive) and pneumatic tires

  • Model K (1906); Six-cylinder engine with cylinders cast in pairs, mechanical tappets and 405 ci (6,636 cm³) displacement

literature

  • Kimes, Beverly R. & Clark, Henry A. Jun .: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 , Krause Publications, Iola (1985), ISBN 0-87341-045-9